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Food Safety Tips

Use these tips every month in your school newsletter.

September

Food Safety Tip from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)

MAKING LUNCHES FOR SCHOOL

• Use an insulated lunch container with freezer gel packs or frozen juice boxes to keep cold lunches cold.
• Keep lunch out of direct sunlight and away from radiators and other heat sources.
• Remind your children to throw out perishable leftovers after lunch because freezer packs work well until lunch time, but they don’t keep foods safe all day.

Subscribe to the CFIA’s free e-mail Food Recalls/Allergy Alerts subscription service available at www.inspection.gc.ca to automatically receive e-mail updates on food recalls. Being informed about food recalls is helpful, practical and in some cases, can be life-saving!

October

Food Safety Tip from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)

DRINK SAFE APPLE CIDER

• When visiting your local apple orchard, don’t drink any unpasteurized juice or cider. Unpasteurized juice or cider can make you ill. Ask before you buy your juice or cider.
• It’s best to drink juice or cider that has been pasteurized, or bring unpasteurized juice/cider to a boil before consuming it.

HALLOWE’EN TREATS

• Don’t let your children eat any Hallowe’en treats until you have inspected them thoroughly.

Subscribe to the CFIA’s free e-mail Food Recalls/Allergy Alerts subscription service available at www.inspection.gc.ca to automatically receive e-mail updates on food recalls. Being informed about food recalls is helpful, practical and in some cases, can be life-saving!

November

Food Safety Tip from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)

CHILL

• Keep foods safe from foodborne illness by refrigerating promptly at 4°C (40°F) or colder.
• Refrigerate or freeze perishables, prepared foods and leftovers within two hours or less. Always marinate foods in the refrigerator.
• Never defrost food at room temperature. Thaw food in the refrigerator, in cold water, or in the microwave if you will be cooking it immediately.
• Don’t overstuff the refrigerator. Cold air needs to circulate above and beneath food to keep it safe.

Subscribe to the CFIA’s free e-mail Food Recalls/Allergy Alerts subscription service available at www.inspection.gc.ca to automatically receive e-mail updates on food recalls. Being informed about food recalls is helpful, practical and in some cases, can be life-saving!

December

Food Safety Tip from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)

KEEP EGGNOG FOOD SAFE

• Serve cooked eggnog using the directions below or use store-bought, pasteurized eggnog, found at most grocery stores.
• If you make your own eggnog with whole eggs, heat the egg-milk mixture to 71°C (160°F), check with a food thermometer. Divide eggnog into shallow containers and refrigerate right away.
• Commercial, ready-made eggnog is prepared with pasteurized eggs and does not require heating, however, like homemade eggnog, it must be kept in the refrigerator.

Subscribe to the CFIA’s free e-mail Food Recalls/Allergy Alerts subscription service available at www.inspection.gc.ca to automatically receive e-mail updates on food recalls. Being informed about food recalls is helpful, practical and in some cases, can be life-saving!

January

Food Safety Tip from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)

CLEAN

• Keep safe from foodborne illness by washing hands and surfaces often.
• Wash hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food, and after changing diapers, touching pets and using the washroom.
• Use soap and warm water to wash hands for 20 seconds. Twenty seconds is how long it takes to sing the Happy Birthday song, twice.

Subscribe to the CFIA’s free e-mail Food Recalls/Allergy Alerts subscription service available at www.inspection.gc.ca to automatically receive e-mail updates on food recalls. Being informed about food recalls is helpful, practical and in some cases, can be life-saving!

February

Food Safety Tip from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)

COOK

• Keep safe from foodborne illness by cooking foods to proper temperatures.
• After cooking, keep foods out of the "danger zone" (4°C to 60°C or 40°F to 140°F) by serving them immediately.
• Once foods are cooked, remember to keep hot food hot! That means 60°C (140°F) or above.  If you’re taking hot foods out to a party, use a thermos or an insulated container with a "hot pack" to keep foods at a safe temperature.

Subscribe to the CFIA’s free e-mail Food Recalls/Allergy Alerts subscription service available at www.inspection.gc.ca to automatically receive e-mail updates on food recalls. Being informed about food recalls is helpful, practical and in some cases, can be life-saving!

March

Food Safety Tip from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)

SEPARATE

• Keep foods safe from foodborne illness by keeping raw foods separate from cooked foods.
• Improper handling of raw meat, poultry and seafood can cause cross-contamination and spread bacteria throughout the kitchen.
• Use one cutting board for "ready-to-eat" foods (like bread, cheese and cleaned fresh produce) and use another cutting board for raw foods (like raw meat, poultry and seafood). An easy way to do this is to use different coloured cutting boards.
• Never place cooked food back on the same plate or cutting board that previously held raw food.

Subscribe to the CFIA’s free e-mail Food Recalls/Allergy Alerts subscription service available at www.inspection.gc.ca to automatically receive e-mail updates on food recalls. Being informed about food recalls is helpful, practical and in some cases, can be life-saving!

April

Food Safety Tip from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)

EASTER EGG SAFETY

• Hard-boil eggs then cool quickly. Do not let your children colour eggs that have cracked shells.
• Use a colouring dye that is non-toxic.
• Store the coloured eggs in a container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to hide them or eat them. If your children want to eat their Easter eggs after using them as decoration, display the eggs in a bowl of ice.
• Do not eat Easter eggs that have been out of the refrigerator for more than two hours.
• Do not eat Easter eggs with cracked shells.

Subscribe to the CFIA’s free e-mail Food Recalls/Allergy Alerts subscription service available at www.inspection.gc.ca to automatically receive e-mail updates on food recalls. Being informed about food recalls is helpful, practical and in some cases, can be life-saving!

May

Food Safety Tip from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)

BBQ TIPS

• Keep raw foods away from cooked foods and do not use the same plate or tray for raw and cooked meats.
• Keep meats, salads and perishable foods in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them.
• Check for proper hamburger doneness by using a food thermometer. Remember, your burger’s done at 71°C (160°F).

Subscribe to the CFIA’s free e-mail Food Recalls/Allergy Alerts subscription service available at www.inspection.gc.ca to automatically receive e-mail updates on food recalls. Being informed about food recalls is helpful, practical and in some cases, can be life-saving!

June

Food Safety Tip from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)

KEEP CANTALOUPES SAFE

• The outside skin of the cantaloupe is rough and netted and can trap contaminants. If the outer surface is contaminated, the inside of the cantaloupe can be contaminated when it’s cut up.
• It’s important to wash the cantaloupe before cutting it up. Use a clean produce brush to scrub the whole cantaloupe with hot water.
• Eat the cantaloupe right away or put it in the refrigerator. Do not leave cut cantaloupe at room temperature for longer than two hours.

Subscribe to the CFIA’s free e-mail Food Recalls/Allergy Alerts subscription service available at www.inspection.gc.ca to automatically receive e-mail updates on food recalls. Being informed about food recalls is helpful, practical and in some cases, can be life-saving!

July

Food Safety Tip from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)

KEEP FOOD SAFE WHEN YOU’RE PICNICKING, HIKING OR CAMPING

• Store food safely when outdoors by keeping foods out of the "danger zone" (4°C to 60°C or 40°F) by freezing or chilling foods before you leave home. If possible, refrigerate or freeze food the day before you pack it.
• Carry food in a cooler filled with ice packs or ice that keeps the food at or below 4°C/40°F.
• Put the cooler in the coolest part of your vehicle. Keep the cooler out of the sun. Keep the cooler lid closed as much as possible. Discard all perishable food when the temperature can’t be kept at or below 4°C/40°F.

August

Food Safety Tip from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)

PETS AND PETTING ZOOS

• Pets are like family members in many households. However, pet owners need to be careful when they handle their pets and pets’ foods.
• Even if you don’t own a pet, you need to be careful when you are around animals, like at animal farms, petting zoos, pet stores and friend’s houses.
• After touching your pets, after touching your pet’s food, treats or toys and before you prepare or eat food, always wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and hot water.